A Texas judge has dismissed all of Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee’s claims against Jay-Z and Roc Nation in the latest chapter of the contentious legal battle that started in 2024.
On June 16, Texas State Judge Kristen Hawkins ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction to rule on the claims Gerardo Garcia, Jose Maldonado, and the Buzbee law firm brought against Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation. Roc Nation and attorneys working with Jay-Z’s camp were accused of unfairly targeting Buzbee’s clients, including alleged attempts by Roc Nation to force them to sign a class action lawsuit.
In December 2024, Buzbee filed a lawsuit in Texas, naming Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s legal firm Quinn Emanuel, and lawyer Marcy Croft as plaintiffs. Buzbee claimed that the three defendants persuaded his former clients to bring “frivolous” lawsuits against him by using “shadowy operatives” and promises of financial incentives. Garcia, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and a former client of Buzbee’s legal practice, claimed that two investigators arrived at his Houston home while posing as representatives of “the state.” The figures allegedly offered him money to participate in a class-action lawsuit against Buzbee’s company.
The dismissal doesn’t mean the allegations are dead forever since the judge ruled on jurisdiction rather than the merits of the case. Buzbee could theoretically refile the lawsuit in another jurisdiction. He’s already signalled his intentions, telling TMZ that he plans to appeal and that “the type of conduct alleged isn’t protected speech.”
Jay-Z took his frustrations public during his Roots Picnic performance in Philadelphia, where he dropped a freestyle calling Buzbee a “1-800 ambulance chaser” and expressing relief that his grandmother Hattie, who turned 100 in 2025, lived to see his name cleared.
Jay-Z had previously described Buzbee as an “ambulance chaser in a cheap suit” in a written statement, making his position crystal clear. The accuser later acknowledged in recorded conversations that Jay-Z hadn’t assaulted her and that Buzbee had brought the rapper into the case, which further undermined the attorney’s position.